Carlson Scan3D vs Pointly: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Carlson Scan3D and Pointly to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Carlson Scan3D
5.3/10
A handheld 3D scanning app for iOS LiDAR devices and Carlson Windows tablets. It produces colour point clouds for surveyors, engineers and construction teams.
Pointly
6.8/10
Pointly is AI software from Berlin that classifies large LiDAR point clouds and extracts vector objects for utilities, railways, mapping agencies and surveyors.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 5.3/10 | 6.8/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Customization | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 4/10 | 9/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | €99/mo Professional S |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Contact for pricing | Free Free |
| Features | ||
| LiDAR Processing | ||
| Digital Twin | Not listed | |
| Drone Inspection | Not listed | |
| Offline Field App | Not listed | |
| Power Line Inspection | Not listed | |
Carlson Scan3D vs Pointly cost by team size
| Team size | Carlson Scan3D | Pointly |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 5 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 10 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 25 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
| 50 users | Contact for pricing | FreeFree |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Carlson Scan3D
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Pointly
- Has a free plan (Carlson Scan3D does not)
- Higher Scalability score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Better fit for government (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Carlson Scan3D
Pros
- All processing happens on the device, so scans can be made in trenches, vaults or remote sites without a connection.
- Exports DP, E57, RCS, LAS and LAZ files, which load into most point cloud tools.
- Scans can be geo-referenced with Carlson GNSS receivers and survey control files.
- Merges with drone, terrestrial and aerial LiDAR clouds in Carlson Point Cloud to fill gaps.
Cons
- Windows prices are not published, so buyers must go through a dealer.
- Phone LiDAR and depth-camera capture suits small objects and spaces, not large sites.
- There are almost no independent user reviews or ratings to check its performance.
- LandXML model comparison and direct .DP import into Carlson Point Cloud were announced as coming soon at launch.
Pointly
Pros
- Monthly prices are published, from 99 euros for 500 million points, and there is a free tier for testing
- Pointly Box allows on-premise and air-gapped processing for data-sensitive operators
- It holds ISO 27001 certification, and cloud processing defaults to EU data centers on Azure
- Custom classifiers can be trained on a customer's own class catalog
- There are extensions for Esri ArcGIS and Bentley MicroStation, and it exports in many formats
Cons
- It only covers classification, with no asset management, work orders or maintenance tools
- Vectorization and custom classifier training are quoted per project, not list-price items
- There are few independent user reviews on G2, Capterra or Reddit
- The pricing page has a yearly billing toggle but shows no annual prices
Not sold on either?
Air Inspection Automation (AiA)Our product
Plans DJI drone inspection missions for power line towers from LiDAR scans: it finds the towers, places photo stops, checks clearance, and splits the route into battery flights.
Made by the team behind b stack radar. Shown here because it fits this topic. It is not part of our rankings. How we rank tools
Frequently Asked Questions
Pointly scores higher on our Industrial & Infrastructure Software criteria: 6.8/10 against 5.3/10 for Carlson Scan3D. The largest gap is in Scalability: 4/10 for Carlson Scan3D and 9/10 for Pointly.
Pointly has a free plan; Carlson Scan3D does not list one.
Pointly is the better fit for government: we rate it 7/10 for them, against 5/10 for Carlson Scan3D.
